Highway Patrol, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe will work together at pow wow

FORT THOMPSON, S.D. (Press Release) – South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers and the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe will work together to keep people safe at this weekend’s Crow Creek Dakota Nation Pow Wow.

Once again this year, Highway Patrol troopers have been invited by the tribe to work with tribal officers to enforce tribal laws during the pow wow.  The troopers involved will be sworn in Thursday, Aug.  15, after a training and orientation program.

“Working with the tribes has been an educational experience for the troopers who volunteer for the event,” says Col. Rick Miller, superintendent of the Highway Patrol. “Troopers also get the chance to participate in the pow wow and learn more about the tribe and its history, culture, and traditions.  We learn from each other.”

State troopers, some with drug detection dogs, assist tribal police during the weekend pow wow. The troopers coordinate their part of the operation with officials of the BIA Crow Creek Agency. The tribe and the state signed a memorandum of understanding for the operation.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.